M  (i 


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CONTRIBUTIONS  FROM  THE 
MUSEUM  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 
HEYE  FOUNDATION 
Voi.  vn,  No.  5 


A  PERUVIAN  QUIPU 


L.  LELAND  LOCKE 


NEW  YORK 

MUSEUM  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 
HEYE  FOUNDATION 
1927 


CONTRIBUTIONS  FROM  THE 
MUSEUM  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 
HEYE  FOUNDATION 
Vol.  VII,  No.  5 


A  PERUVIAN  QUIPU 


0 


L.  LELAND  LOCKE 


NEW  YORK 

xMUSEUM  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 
HEYE  FOUNDATION 
1927 


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1 


A  PERUVIAN  QUIPU 

BY 

L.  LELAND  LOCKE 

The  Inca  civilization  is  unique  in  that  it  did  not  develop  any 
system  of  writing,  hieroglyphic,  ideographic,  phonetic,  or 
alphabetic.  With  its  highly  organized  governmental  machin¬ 
ery,  in  which  records  of  taxes,  census,  crops,  and  tributes  were  a 
necessary  part,  some  device  was  necessary  to  preserve  such  numeri¬ 
cal  records.  The  quipu,  or  knot  record,  was  a  simple  but  exceed¬ 
ingly  clever  adaptation  of  the  primitive  and  widely  used  method 
of  tying  knots  on  a  string. 

In  the  most  perfectly  developed  form  the  quipu  consists  of  a 
main  strand  to  which  are  attached  pendent  strands,  on  each  of  which 
a  number  is  arranged  in  decimal  notation,  with  the  units  or  ones 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  strand.  The  tens  are  tied  above  the  ones, 
with  the  highest  order  appearing  nearest  the  main  or  parent  strand. 

The  successive  orders  thus  lie  in  rows  across  the  quipu,  parallel 
to  the  main  strand.  The  number  in  each  order  above  the  ones  is 
usually  a  group  of  single  knots,  not  exceeding  nine,  while  the  ones, 
or  lowest  order,  is  represented  by  what  is  termed  the  long  knot,  a 
loop  with  the  strand  passing  through  once  for  each  one  to  be  shown. 
A  single  one  is  generally  represented  by  the  single  overhand  or 
Flemish  knot.  A  subsidiary  strand  was  frequently  attached  to  the 
pendent  strand  to  note  some  disturbance  in  the  count.  When  the 
items  listed  were  in  groups,  it  was  customary  to  group  the  strands 
on  the  main  strand,  and  frequently  a  top  strand  served  to  sum  up  the 
numbers  in  the  group  of  pendent  strands  to  which  it  was  attached. 

A  conventional  color  scheme  was  in  use,  with  certain  colors  for 
the  different  kinds  of  things  to  be  recorded.  With  many  of  the  pre¬ 
served  specimens  it  would  seem  that  the  colors  were  chosen  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  fancy  of  the  maker. 


3 


4 


MUSEUM  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 


From  recent  studies^  the  following  conclusions  may  be  drawn 
with  respect  to  existing  specimens  which  have  been  studied : 

1.  The  quipu  was  used  primarily  for  recording  numbers. 

2.  The  quipu  was  probably  used  as  memoria  technica  in  memo¬ 

rizing  historical  items,  poems,  lists  of  rulers,  etc. 

3.  The  quipu  was  not  adapted  to  calculation. 

4.  The  quipu  was  not  a  conventional  scheme  of  writing. 

In  recent  studies^  on  the  quipu,  Baron  Erland  Nordenskiold,  in 
accounting  for  the  practice  of  placing  quipus  in  graves,  has  pred¬ 
icated  as  a  theory  that  the  grave  quipus  were  calendrical  in  nature 
and  may  have  been  used  for  astrological  or  divination  purposes. 
The  frequent  appearance  of  astronomical  numbers  in  the  published 
quipus  gives  considerable  substantiation  to  this  theory.  In  this 
study  the  numbers  themselves  are  of  paramount  importance,  and 
it  is  evident  that  if  the  true  significance  of  the  grave  quipus  is  to  be 
determined,  it  is  essential  that  accurate  readings  of  all  complete 
or  nearly  complete  quipus  be  rendered  available  for  study.  It  is 
probable  that  a  considerable  body  of  astronomical  knowledge  will 
be  shown  to  have  been  developed  by  the  Incas. 

There  has  recently  come  into  the  possession  of  the  Museum  of 
the  American  Indian,  Heye  Foundation,  an  exceedingly  interesting 
specimen  of  the  quipu,  which  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  plate 
LXii.  A  schematic  diagram  of  the  knot  readings  and  arrangement 
is  also  given  (pi.  lxiii).  This  specimen  is  practically  perfect  and 
is  unique  in  several  particulars. 

The  main  strand  is  twisted  of  three  strands,  white,  brown,  and 
dark-brown.  The  dark-brown  strand  is  badly  disintegrated,  due  to 
the  dye.  This  peculiarly  dyed  strand  is  found  in  many  specimens. 

^  L.  Leland  Locke,  The  Ancient  Quipu,  A  Peruvian  Knot  Record.  American 
Anthropologist,  14,  2,  April,  1912,  325-332. 

L.  Leland  Locke,  The.Ancient  Quipu  or  Peruvian  Knot  Record.  American  Mu¬ 
seum  of  Natural  History,  1923. 

^  Erland  Nordenskiold,  The  Secret  of  the  Peruvian  Quipus.  Comparative  Ethno¬ 
graphical  Studies,  no.  6,  part  1,  O.xford  University  Press,  1925. 

Erland  Nordenskiold,  Calculations  with  Years  and  Months  in  the  Peruvian  Quipus. 
No.  6,  part  2,  of  above,  1925. 


CONTR.  MUS.  AMER.  IND.,  HEYE  FOUND  N  VOL.  VII,  NO.  5,  PL.  LXII 


QUIPU  FROM  ICA.  PERU 
(14/3866) 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/peruvianquipuOOIock_0 


LOCKE — A  PERUVIAN  QUIPU 


5 


The  quipu  consists  of  fifteen  groups  of  six  pendent  strands,  each 
group  of  six  having  a  top  summing  strand.  At  the  end  are  three 
single  strands. 

In  group  A,  one  thread  of  each  strand  is  of  dark-brown  dye 
as  in  the  main  strand.  These  strands  are  partially  loosed  from  the 
main  strand,  owing  to  the  falling  away  of  the  brown  thread.  One 
strand  is  missing,  but  it  is  safe  to  assume  the  number  on  it  from 
the  summation  strand  at  the  top.  Group  B  is  complete,  with  the 
top  strand  summing  the  number  on  the  pendent  strands.  Group  C 
is  to  be  noted  on  account  of  the  number  of  subsidiary  strands  at¬ 
tached  to  strands  2  and  3.  There  are  seven  attached  to  strand  2, 
only  one  of  which  contains  a  number.  The  six  attached  to  strand  3 
are  not  tied.  This  large  number  of  subsidiary  strands  attached  to  a 
single  strand  is  unusual,  particularly  so  in  that  they  have  not  been 
used.  In  group  J  the  number  on  the  top  or  summation  strand  is  43, 
while  the  readings  on  the  pendent  strands  total  45.  This  may  be 
due  to  a  mistake  on  the  part  of  the  maker  or  again  to  an  error  in 
reading.  In  some  cases,  due  to  the  character  of  the  cord,  certainty 
in  the  reading  may  be  obtained  only  by  untying  the  knot,  which 
would  not  be  desirable.  In  such  cases  the  reading  is  verified  and 
recorded  as  read.  Beyond  group  J  the  groups  contain  no  knots. 
Group  L  is  very  fragmentary,  owing  to  the  dye. 

The  three  final  cords,  P,  Q,  and  R,  are  unusual,  as  they  are  not 
grouped  and  they  contain  numbers  much  in  excess  of  the  numbers 
on  the  grouped  strands.  Q  is  broken  in  the  units  knot,  which  has 
been  at  least  one.  The  three  strands  have  the  appearance  of  a  bal¬ 
ance  sheet  or  final  summing  up  of  the  numbers  on  the  grouped 
strands.  This  hypothesis  fails  if  the  quipu  were  supposed  to  be  a 
record  of  items  counted,  since  one  would  not  know  the  total  until 
the  enumeration  had  been  completed.  The  total  on  the  top 
strands  of  the  groups  is  839,  with  71  on  the  subsidiary  strands. 
The  totals  of  P,  Q,  and  R  are  at  least  2795. 

The  apparently  unfinished  condition  of  this  quipu  is  easily  ex¬ 
plained  if  it  had  been  used  as  a  record  of  an  enumeration,  assuming 
the  quipu  to  have  been  prepared  in  advance,  just  as  one  might 
select  more  sheets  of  paper  than  would  be  required  for  a  particular 


6 


MUSEUM  OE  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 


piece  of  writing.  A  number  of  sheets  would  remain  unused.  This 
assumption  permits  of  no  easy  solution  of  the  last  three  strands. 

If,  as  Nordenskiold  assumes,  this  is  an  astrological  or  astro¬ 
nomical  quipu,  where  the  maker  builds  up  the  numbers  according 
to  some  principle  or  according  to  his  fancy,  it  is  easy  to  conjecture 
that  he  first  set  down  the  chosen  numbers  as  totals  on  P,  Q,  and  R, 
and  proceeded  to  build  up  his  combinations  on  the  groups.  An 
interruption  in  the  work  would  account  for  the  unfinished  condition 
of  the  quipu.  Another  peculiarity  of  the  specimen  is  that  no  sub¬ 
sidiary  cords  are  attached  to  the  summation  strands  at  the  top, 
except  in  group  K,  which  contains  no  subsidiary  strands  on  the 
pendent  cords  and  does  have  one  attached  to  the  summation 
strand.  No  knots  have  been  tied  in  this  group.  In  other  specimens 
examined  the  subsidiary  strands  attached  to  the  summation  strands 
sum  up  the  subsidiary  strands  of  the  group  of  pendent  strands. 


COMTIWUTiONS  FROM  THE  MUSEUM  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN.  METE  POUNOATION 


VOt.  VII.  NO.  S.  Ft  tXIII 


SCHEMATIC  DIAGRAM  OF  THE  KNOT  READINGS  AND  ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE  OUlPU  FROM  IGA.  PERU 


} 


1 


.•  J 


LOCKE — A  PERUVLA.N  QUIPU 


7 


NOTES 

Conventions:  F  indicates  a  Flemish  knot,  5  a  single  knot,  and  L  a  long  knot. 
Asterisks  indicate  the  positions  of  subsidiary  strands. 


Strand 

lOOO’s  lOO’s  JO’S 

I’s 

Color  and  description 

Main 

Twisted,  white,  brown,  and  dark- 

brown.  Dark-brown  badly  dis¬ 
integrated 

A  1 

IF 

White  and  dark-brown.  Dark- 

2 

8L 

brown  has  fallen  away.  Section 

3 

3L 

A  is  nearly  separated  from  the 

4 

2L 

main  strand.  One  strand  evi¬ 
dently  is  missing 

5 

IF 

Total 

15 

Top 

2S 

8L 

White  and  dark-brown 

B  1 

IF 

Light-brown  and  white,  mixed 

2 

4L 

3 

3L 

4 

IS 

2L 

5 

2L 

6 

6L 

Total 

1 

18 

Top 

2S 

8L 

Light-brown  and  white,  mixed 

C  1 

IS** 

IF 

White 

a 

IF 

Light-brown 

b 

5L 

Very  light  brown 

2 

gg****  +  4.* 

IF 

a 

Light-brown 

b 

Light-brown 

c 

Brown  and  white,  mixed 

d 

Brown 

e 

Blue  and  white,  mixed 

f 

Other  end  of  e 

g 

91, 

White 

3 

2g****+* 

4L 

White 

a 

Brown  and  white, 

twisted 

b 

Brown 

c 

Light-brown 

d 

Brown  and  white. 

mixed 

8 


MUSEUM  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 


NOTES — Continued 


Strand 

lOOO's  lOO’s  lO’s 

Vs 

Color  and  description 

e 

White 

f 

Blue  and  white, 

mixed 

4 

Qg 

9L 

White 

a 

Light-brown 

b 

Brown 

c 

Brown  and  white. 

mixed 

d 

9L 

White 

e 

3L 

Brown 

f 

7L 

Blue  and  white,  mixed 

g 

Brown 

5 

IS  ** 

9L 

White 

a 

Light-brown 

b 

Brown 

6 

IS  ** 

9L 

White 

a 

Brown 

Brown  and  white. 

mixed 

Total 

20 

33  34 

Top 

2S  3S 

3L 

White 

D  1 

4L 

White 

2 

IS 

3L 

Tips,  brown  and  white, 

twisted 

3 

5L 

4 

2S 

3L 

5 

5L 

6 

IF 

Total 

3 

21 

Top 

5S 

IF 

Same  as 

D 

E  1 

* 

7L 

Brown 

a 

41. 

White  and  brown. 

twisted 

2 

^g  *♦* 

a 

IS 

White  and  brown. 

twisted 

b 

3L 

Blue 

c 

2L 

Blue  and  white,  mixed 

3 

2S  * 

IF 

Brown 

a 

IF 

Brown  and  white. 

mixed 

LOCKE — A  PERUVL4N  QUIPU 


9 


NOTES — Continued 


Strand  lOOO’s  100' s  lO’s  I’s  Color  and  description 


A 

1  IS 

IS  ** 

8L 

Brown 

a 

5L 

Dark-brown 

b 

7L 

Brown  and  white, 

twisted 

5 

3S 

8L 

Brown 

6 

2S 

IF 

Brown 

Total 

1 

12  1 

25  22 

Top 

2S 

4S 

5L 

Brown 

F  1 

4L 

White 

.  2 

2S 

5L 

3 

IS 

5L 

4 

3S  * 

8L 

a 

3L 

Brown 

5 

IS 

7L 

6 

8L 

Total 

7 

37  3 

Top 

IS 

7L 

White 

G  1 

IF 

Light-brown 

2 

5L 

3 

3L 

4 

IS 

5 

* 

IF 

a 

2L 

Brown  and  white, 

6 

5L 

twisted 

Total 

1 

15  2 

Top 

2S 

5L 

Light-brown 

H  1 

IF 

Black  and  white,  mixed 

2 

5L 

3 

4L 

4 

9L 

5 

0 

6 

IF 

Total 

20 

Top 

2S 

Black  and  white,  mixed 

I  1 

! 

2L 

Brown 

1 

IS 

3L 

10 


MUSEUM  OP  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 


NOTES — Continued 


Strand 

lOOO’s  lOO’s 

lO’s 

Ps 

Color  and  description 

3 

3L 

4 

2S 

9L 

5 

9L 

6 

3L 

Total 

3 

29 

Top 

5S 

9L 

Brown 

J  1 

4L 

Brown  and  white,  mixed 

2 

IS 

2L 

3 

4L 

4 

IS 

8L 

5 

4L 

6 

3L 

Total 

2 

25 

Top 

4 

3L 

Brown  and  white,  mLxed 

K  1-6 

No  knot's 

Top,  brown  and  white,  twisted 
Remainder,  white 

Top 

No  knots 

Same  as  K  1-6 

a 

White 

L  1-6 

Fragmentary 

Dark-brown 

M  1-6 

No  knots 

Light-brown  and  white 

Top 

No  knots 

Same  as  M  1-6 

N  1-6 

No  knots 

White 

Top 

No  knots 

White 

0  1-6 

No  knots 

Blue  and  white,  mixed 

Top 

No  knots 

Same  as  0  1-6 

P 

2S 

4S 

5L 

Dark-brown 

Q 

IS  3S 

9S 

? 

Gray,  fragmentary 

R 

IS  IS 

5S 

9L 

Dark-brown 

SUMMARY 

A 

28  White  and  dark-brown 

B 

28  White  and  light-brown 

C 

233  34  White 

D 

51  Wdiite 

Oh  O' 


LOCKE — A  PERUVIAN  QUIPU 


11 


NOTES — Concluded 


E 

F 

G 

H 

I 

J 

Total 


245 

32 

Brown 

107 

3 

Brown 

25 

2 

Light-brown 

20 

White  and  black 

59 

Brown 

43 

Brown  and  white 

839 

71 

245 

Dark-brown 

1391 

? 

Gray 

1159 

Dark-brown 

2795 

Total 


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